Farming for Nature
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
43: Making money from field to fork: farmers Liam and Justina Gavin, Roscommon
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liam and Justina Gavin own Drumanilra Organic Farm on the shores of Lough Key, Co. Roscommon. When they took over the farm in 2012, they had two amb...
42: On fungi and farming, with Thomas O'Connor
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas O’Connor farms 25 acres in the Gleann na nGealt valley near Camp, Co. Kerry, and sells his fresh organic produce in a farm shop, Manna Organi...
41: Bruce Thompson, dairy farmer & dung beetle expert
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Thompson is an intensive dairy farmer from Laois. He has a particular interest in reducing animal remedies through prevention, and is a strong a...
40: How to make Biochar, with Kildare farmer Kim McCall
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brigid speaks to Kim McCall about why and how he makes biochar. Kim and his wife Mireille own a 214-acre mixed livestock stock farm in Calverstown, Ki...
39: James Gilmartin, Mixed Stock Farmer, Leitrim: My land's natural carrying capacity
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Gilmartin is a 7th generation mixed farmer. He keeps a suckler herd and a small herd of Dexters, as well as a small flock of sheep. Part of his...
38: Maurice Deasy, brewer, sheep & arable farmer: Why conservation agriculture is worth the risk
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Maurice Deasy farms 120 acres in northwest Tipperary. He grows heritage Irish grains to preserve their genetic diversity, and uses them in his own br...
37: Aonghus Ó'Coistealbha, Connemara, Galway: How I make a living from 1 acre
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aonghus Ó'Coistealbha is a market gardener from Connemara Co. Galway, and he owns 'An Garraà Glas',  a 1-acre farm where he grows chemical-free veg...
36: Gearoid Maher, dairy farmer, Co. Limerick: Being economically viable while restoring nature on a dairy farm
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gearoid Maher farms 80 cows on 80 hectares in Co.Limerick. He tells Brigid how he manages to operate an economically successful farm while restoring n...
35: Composting with Jim Cronin, mixed farmer, Co. Clare
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jim has a 16 acre hill farm in Clare where he intensively grows vegetables and fruit. Â He tells Brigid why homemade compost is the backbone to his fa...
34: Rehabilitating an intensive farm with Colm Flynn, a Kildare tillage farmer
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Colm talks to Brigid as part of Farming for Nature's "Ask the Farmer" series. Here he explains in detail how - and why - he changed from an intensive ...
33: James Ham, the tree farmer.
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Ham of Moyvore, Co. Westmeath is one of the last farmers in his county to use traditional technique of hedge laying. He farms 128 acres with his...
32: Rewilding with Eoghan Daltun, Beara, West Cork
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eoghan has a farm of 73 acres (including 40 acres of mountain commonage) overlooking the Atlantic near Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula, West Cork. For ...
31: Aoife Reilly - making a living on 7.5 acres
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aoife Reilly of Glasraà Farm owns a 7.5-acre farm in Hollymount, Mayo, with her husband, Joe. They employ seven people, and nature is intrinsic to wh...
30: Why the best time for producing a Christmas turkey is actually in the summer
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cathal Mooney owns Heather Hill Farm in Donegal, where he produces pasture-raised turkey, pasture-raised chickens, lambs and eggs and wildflower honey...
29: What do bats need to make a farm their home?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Donna Mullen has a 43-acre farm in Meath, and she's found different ways to make her farm a magnet for seven bat species. She explains what she's do...
28: And the winner of the Farming for Nature 2022 award is...
29 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On 29th October, the annual Farming for Nature awards took place in Corofin, Co. Clare. Brigid Barry spoke to the winner, Sean Condon, who is a dair...
27: So you have a bog on your farm...now what?
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Earley has a 25 acre bog on his farm in Roscommon, and a few years ago he started the process of restoring it. What did he do? And how did h...
26: How Anthony Mooney attracts birds to his Kildare farm
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a 200 acre beef farm in Kildare, Anthony Mooney knows that he has a vital role in attracting bird species to his land. He explains how he does ...
25: Nicholas Redmond, mixed farmer, Wexford
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nicholas Redmond has a 50-acre farm in Gerry, Wexford. He talks about his diverse beef & sheep farm, which includes species-rich meadows (from w...
24: How to attract bat life to a farm
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Where you see bats, you'll find insects and bats on a farm are a good sign that nature is being supported. Tommy Earley, a beef farmer from Roscommon,...
23: Gearoid Maher, dairy farmer, Limerick
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gearoid is a dairy farmer from Limerick with 197 acres and 80 purebred Friesian cows. He explains how and why he works with nature on his farm. "“...
22: Working with nature to benefit a microdairy
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sinéad farms 27 acres with her partner Mick. She explains why they decided to set up an organic microdairy, and how it benefits her business, the wil...
21: How to Get the Best from Your Hedgerows
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hedgerows are the green veins of our countryside, but poor management can leave them all but lifeless. Tipperary's Sean O'Farrell describes how farm...
20: Farming at Altitude with Nature
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to farm the uplands in a way that both provides an income and restores nature? Nia O'Malley farms 150 acres in the Slieve Aughty Mou...
19: Mimi Crawford, Mixed Farm, Tipperary
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mimi owns a 28 acre farm in Tipperary with her husband Owen. They have a micro-dairy and sell raw organic cream, butter and buttermilk, and they als...
18: Why Every Farmer Should Dig a Pond!
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Roscommon beef farmer Tommy Earley has created 15 ponds on his farm in the West of Ireland. Â They attract a spectacular array of life, and he explain...
17: What is Farming for Nature?
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The founders of Farming for Nature, Brigid Barry and Brendan Dunford, explain what the initiative is, and how and why farmers across Ireland should ge...
16: Norman Dunne, Tillage Farmer, Kildare
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Norman Dunne owns a 400-acre tillage farm near Maynooth. Five years ago he transformed the way he farms, in a way that has benefitted nature and his o...
15: How to Entice Barn Owls to your Farm
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
They're known as "the farmer's friend" because they eat rodents such as wood mice, pygmy shrews and rats. But barn owls are struggling in Ireland - ...
14: Thomas Fouhy, arable farmer, Co. Cork
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas is an arable farmer with 84 acres in north Co. Cork. Â He farms speciality crops such as grain-lupins, linseed, lentils, sunflowers, as well as...
13: Fergal Smith: veg & livestock farmer, Co. Clare
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fergal Smith owns the 66-acre Moy Hill Farm in West Clare. He keeps Dexter cattle, Jacob sheep and runs a large market garden. He sells all his prod...
12: Patrick Holden, farmer & founding director of @SusFoodTrust
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Holden is a dairy farmer at Bwlchwernen Fawr in Wales, UK and campaigns for more sustainable food systems. Â He speaks here during the Burren ...
11: James Rebanks, Lake District, UK
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
James Rebanks has a family-owned farm in the Lake District in northern England, and is the author of The Shepherd’s Life & English Pastoral. He ...
10: Bridget Murphy, mixed farmer, Co. Sligo
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bridget is an 9th generation farmer with 125 acres on the Ox Mountains. She farms sheep, horses, trees and native Irish bees.Â
9: Darina Allen, Ballymaloe, Co. Cork
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Darina Allen owns a 100 acre mixed farm in east Cork, with fruit & vegetables, pigs, beef, dairy cows and hens.Â
8: Feargal Ó Cuinneagáin, Farmer, Mayo
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Feargal explains how he farms his land in Mayo in a way that enhances life for endangered species such as corncrake, twite and chough. His farm is now...
7: Donna Mullen, biomass farmer, Co. Meath
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Donna Mullen farms 43 acres in Meath. She explains how she encourages as much wildlife on her farm as possible.
6: Padraig Corcoran, sheep & beef farmer, Roscommon
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Padraig Corcoran has a beef and sheep farm in Mount Plunkett in Lecarrow, Co. Roscommon. He talks about how he manages his 54 acre farm for food produ...
5: Olly Nolan, honey & beef farmer, Co. Dublin
22 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Olly farms in the valley of Glenasmole in the Dublin Mountains. He's new to farming, and talks about his approach to producing food and habitats for w...
4: Ailbhe Gerrard, mixed farmer, Tipperary
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ailbhe Gerrard farms on the shores of Lough Derg in Co. Tipperary. Â Her approach to farming is not limited to food - she also tries to produce better...
3: Sean O'Farrell, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sean O'Farrell has a mixed farm near Roscrea in Co. Tipperary. A few years ago he changed the way he farms. He explains why he did this, and how he ma...
2: Tommy Earley, Beef farmer, Roscommon
13 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Roscommon farmer Tommy Earley talks about his farm and how - and why - he leaves spaces for nature
1: Donal Sheehan, Dairy Farmer, Cork
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Can intensive farmers make a profit and farm for nature at the same time? Conventional dairy farmer, Donal Sheehan, explains how he has changed the wa...